Lux Aeterna
by Cranberry Knight-XIII
Summary: With only days left until the end of the world, Lightning is on the hunt to reunite with past ties and move the souls of the dying into the new world. She continues tirelessly in an inhuman state of awareness as Bhunivelze's chosen Savior. But what is it about Nova Chrysalia that is so worth protecting? K for mild language. Lightning Returns, spoilers.
1. Standard of Living

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I am getting antsy for more Lightning Returns…trailers, screenshots, character reveals, anything! If enough readers would enjoy another chapter, I'd definitely think about it. I like the idea of this story becoming a series of chapters where Lightning goes off and does random missions. As entailed by the LR developers, the game will feature many side-missions and battles to add time to the clock, which is something I wanted to expand upon in this chapter. **Reviews **are _very _much appreciated!

*Side note: I sometimes refer to the people of Luxerion as the "Populi" because in Latin, it equates to "people." (We all know about SE's love for Latin!)

BGM/Song: "Black Ocean" - IMERUAT

Write on,

**Cranberry Knight-XIII **(new pen name changed from "WriteFF13" as of 8/6/2013)

* * *

**.:LUX AETERNA:.**

_Chapter 1 – Standard of Living_

_"You'll have to take the train to the Dead Dunes, no other way around it. We're getting more runoff from the Wildlands, so expect some trouble near the Station." _

With a sigh, Lightning pressed down on the comms unit tucked in her left ear, initiating a quiet signal. Her movements were modest and quick as she loped above the starch buildings of Luxerion, hitching her breath when she leaped over a particularly large gap – about twenty feet wide sometimes - and nailing the landing with ease.

"Damn. No other way then, huh? What's the Reverend's plan this time around?" she responded, releasing the unit and pumping her arms fast. In the corner of her aqua eyes, she spotted a daunting image being to creep over Nova Chrysalia. As Hope began to speak again, Lightning jogged to a halt, taking a moment to take in the scenery for just a few seconds.

_"He wants you to infiltrate – what's up, Light?" _Hope started. He could track her position from their headquarters using the lightning brand on her chest.

Crafted from Chaos Crystals, the emblem was more than just a symbol of her title and being; it reacted to the very same Chaos Crystal inside of Hope's office, retrieved from various places along the Sea of Chaos. Somehow, – Lightning didn't know how that boy knew so much about crystal technology – he had managed to manipulate the energy into an actual tracking device; all Chaos Crystals were interconnected in Nova Chrysalia, always slightly glowing. (Hope believed it to be a result of the impending chaos from the surrounding ocean.) That way he could provide exact information based on her location at any time. Also, Hope had insisted she accept the device, worried about the mysterious group accused of murdering eight people in the last four days.

"Nothing," she murmured, a proud smile gracing her lips. Luxerion was beautiful, and she was its savior, the protector of its people. Hell, the town was called the "City of Light." A slight breeze ruffled her white and tan chaps that flowed freely, adorned with two pockets wide enough to carry a vast supply of Potions and remedies for battle wounds. However, the tranquil moment vanished in an instant as the loud reverberation of the doomsday clock bonged, sweeping through Luxerion as if in a silent wave. When she peeked over the side of the building, Lightning watched as various civilians flinched and took their next steps just a _little _bit quicker than necessary. As another rang out, shaking her to the bones, she closed her eyes and silently mouthed the numbers.

_1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…_

With a sigh of relief, she opened her eyes again, breathing deeply. It was all right. She still had time. Every time the clock began to boom its first rings, it was like the end of the world had already come. People held their breath, hoping and praying for just a second longer, an hour, even a _day _was worth more than any riches gil could buy.

But it was a double-edged sword.

Every time Lightning successfully added time to the world's lifespan, to every single man, woman, child, elder's life...it meant their faith in her strengthened. If she was taking the streets and the clock went off with successful results, the people looked up to her as if she was an angel. Yet when it began to deepen and became unbearably loud that preceded bad news – news that she had failed, that's what killed her. The disappointment in their eyes, the fear clouded in the irises of people she met. They weren't just civilians anymore. They all had a stake in the end of the world, and she had been chosen by Bhunivelze to uphold the safety of Nova Chrysalia. The task was colossal, but she had accepted without any hesitation. It wasn't like being hunted down by her neighbors and friends back on Cocoon during the war against the fal'Cie. Luxerion's Populi actually cared about her… she wasn't being hunted, exiled, and threatened. She wanted to help them; they were essentially helpless themselves. Many of them didn't know about how to wield magic or a weapon since the beginning of days in the new land. Their fate rested on her shoulders. She couldn't fail. She refused to.

_"Hear that, Light?" _Hope whooped, snapping her out of her reverie. She shook her head to shake away the thoughts.

"Loud and clear."

_"I know you're skeptical, but the Reverend is right! These missions are helping. Now, if I could get an explanation that made _sense_, we'd be golden..." _Lightning left him to his thoughts.

Once again she began to move, sprinting, falling into a rhythm only she knew the beats to. Thoughts swarmed her brain in absence of Hope's silence. Now, time dominated every aspect of her life, she thought. Every step you took was like an alarm clock, quietly ticking away until sometimes, it drove you crazy. The longer you took doing something, the less time you had to live. That was the mindset of Nova Chrysalia's population. Perhaps a second longer tying your shoe would equate to one less second you could spend with your son or daughter. The thought on everyone's mind was: how much time did that just take up?

How much time left until dinner? Breakfast?

Until Day 7?

Until 2:30 in the afternoon?

An image of a doomsday clock was always engraved in your mind; each time you closed your eyes you could see it, the numbers lifting from the face of the clock and swirling into a jumbled mess until a headache took over.

Time ruled Nova Chrysalia.

If you didn't know what time it was, your brain was suddenly thrown into an erratic disarray. The Populi could easily be frightened. It wasn't out of the ordinary to see someone stumble out of the train station, eyes wild and frantic, shouting for the time after a long trip out to the wildlands of the world.

_Even I can't stop thinking about it for much longer than a few minutes_, Lightning thought.

The one upside, she supposed with a smirk, was that no one stopped to bother the Liberator of Souls in lieu of well, time's sake.

Her partner's voice crackled to life in a steady static. _"Hanging in there?" _

"Of course. Everything clear until the station?" she asked, wary of a chaotic monster leaping into the fray to halt her progress.

"_Hmm…there seems to be some disarray right on the next block, but I'm not sure if that's –" _His voice dropped off without warning. A second later, barely audible static filled her ear. _"You need – four civilians – can't track – Crystal dim – run – get higher – "_

"Hope?" Lightning shouted, squinting against the bright white roofs of Luxerion. "What is it?"

Static filled her ear, and she soon switched off the unit.

"Chaos Crystal technology my ass…" she muttered, flicking the emblem on her chest and jogged for the station, tightening her gloves.

She felt around in a pocket until her fingers closed around a pair of pitch-black shades, the frames accented with intricate oval patterns of purple and gold interweaving. With a flick of her wrist they snapped open and she nimbly put them on, blinking once to adjust to the sudden change of color to sepia. In the next second she was off, running hard to the station. The situation was most likely a wild monster summoned by the chaos, nothing to worry about. The entire day was a laundry list of things to do within 24 hours with little to no breaks in between, and the Reverend's mission to conclude the day.

A scream erupted from the street just below the next building's roof, dipping low over a balcony. She moved over to the edge, running while peering over. Civilians were taking off, all dispersing from of Fastidio Plaza.

_How ironic, _Lightning thought dryly before skidding down the roof, using the very edge of the roof as a launch pad to send her into the air, plummeting towards the ground in seconds flat. The ground greeted her padded boots as she dispersed the impact through a roll, moving into a crouch behind a merchant's stand. She could hear a monster growling, a thick, guttural roar erupting from just a few yards away. Without glancing she knew it was Chaotic. Without a sound she unclipped the crimson blade from her back, holding it firmly as she slowly peeked her head around.

Before she could register the species of monster that dominated the foreground of the Plaza, a familiar face suddenly popped out from the other side, knocking over a package of Potions and remedies. Her bright blue eyes and pale pink hair were identical to that of the trademark Farron appearance, but as far as Lightning was concerned, this girl had nothing in common with her. She yanked her head back in surprise, yanking the girl by her feathery collar and tossing her behind the cart by her side, sure a monster was about to plow through it in a second.

"What the are you doing here, Lumina?" Lightning hissed, irritated. How was it that Lumina always ended getting in her way?

"Oh, don't be so rude! I was just walking by and wanted to help out!" she chirped, smiling. "And anyways, you're the one running all over the tops of people's roofs!"

Lightning's ears perked up. "How did you know I was on the high route before I got here?"

For a second, Lumina stumbled over her words, caught red-handed. "Uh…lucky guess?"

Lightning just rolled her eyes. "You hacked into Hope's communication systems, didn't you? Don't you realize how important that stuff is?"

"What, can't stand not hearing Hope for more than five minutes?" Lumina jeered, clucking her tongue. "You need to find a real man, Light!"

Lightning felt a strong need to punch a wall…Lumina's perfectly manicured face would also do. After counting to five she opened her eyes again, trying to remember the main objective.

"Well, you're here now. Like hell if you're just going to leave without helping. I'm on a mission for the Reverend, and I don't have much time."

"Fine, fine!" Lumina smoothened her black skirt. "But really, I was just out for a walk," she pouted.

Her look-alike twin tossed her an annoyed glance.

"Right…come on, let's move."

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I hope it didn't end too abruptly, but I didn't want it to be too long. Besides, this kind of broke me out of a long phase of writer's block. You might know how irritating that is. Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to **review **and tell me what you thought!

Oh, and am I the only one who thinks a perfect weapon for Lumina would be twin rapiers? Maybe I've been watching too much RWBY, but it fits…

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**


	2. In Light of Flight

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Feel free to **review**, but I do apologize for the rather short chapter. I wanted to continue this someway, no matter what the length.

Also, I hope someone adds "Lightning Returns" to the _Final Fantasy XIII _category. There are times when I just want to read LR fics and have to wade through XIII and XIII-2 to find any.

Valiantly,

**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

* * *

**.:LUX AETERNA:. **

_Chapter 2 – In Light of Flight_

**[**"The Pulse l'Cie" – _Final Fantasy XIII _Disc 2**]**

The brilliant sky painted light blue canopied Lightning's travels as she made her way through the dim streets of Luxerion, passing under the exquisite sign reading, "North Station." Familiar with the distinct threads of the savior's outfit most passerby simply acknowledged her with a nod, courteously moving out of the way. She in return coolly waved her hand, coming to a stop in front of a familiar train conductor.

"Where might you be heading today, Miss Farron? I've got a train heading out in thirty minutes to the Dunes," the man informed her, wearing the typical checkerboard uniform of his profession.

"Great, I'll take it." She fished around in one of her hip flaps for three silver coins, using her thumb to flick them in his palm. "Can we make it now?"

The man grinned and stowed the Gil in his pocket. "Sure thing. Can't say no to the savior, can I?"

"No, no you can't," Lightning responded as he warned the nearby citizens. Without another word she quickly slipped inside, taking a seat near the window and tapping the inside of her ear.

"Hope, you there?"

Several seconds of static passed before Hope's juvenile voice came through, frustrated and irritated.

_"Lumina cut the line again…I don't know how she does it, I've got the Chaos Crystal right here and it's completely fine. Are you okay, Light? What happened?" _

"Lumina popped up in Fastidio. Left me to take care of a Behemoth. Lovely girl, isn't she?" Lightning sighed.

_"Sorry, Light, I'll try and warn you ahead of time." _

"Don't mention it."

The train soon began to roll forward with a series of whistles, wheels grating against the upper tracks. In one swift motion it lurched forward at breakneck speed, carrying the train and its passengers across the contrasted tops of Luxerion's tallest buildings, winding across the edge of the lush Wildlands and making its way across the brief expanse of chaotic waters between the Dead Dunes and Luxerion. Lightning watched all of this fly by in a blur, planning ahead for her arrival. She'd seen the Dead Dunes from afar and listened intently to the reports Hope offered about the dangerous labyrinths and dungeons it hided, but Lightning was eager to see it for herself.

Three days had passed and she had only met three of her former comrades. Snow Villiers, once an enigmatic and self-proclaimed hero, now brooded in remorse as the Patron of Yusnaan, City of Pleasure. How he attained that position was anybody's guess, but Lightning figured it was the one thing saving his soul from slipping into utter depression.

Noel Kreiss had made himself known to her as she first stepped into the dark streets of Luxerion the second night, confronting her in an eerie cemetery. His back was turned to her as she approached him hesitantly on the second day. When he had turned to face her, sword drawn, Lightning did not recognize the young man she once knew.

And Sazh Katzroy? He had also slipped into a state of sadness over his son's eternal slumber; ironic that he would be saved from a l'Cie's crystal stasis only to be stuck in a mysterious fog of sleep once more. Lightning had offered help in return for malice. She was not wanted by the Katzroy family. Regretfully, she left.

_And now I'm chasing a rumor… _

A man had approached her on the yesterday bearing news that her presence was requested by a mysterious group known only as "Monoculus" to outsiders – what Lightning had gathered from various residents within Luxerion, despite their relative uninterested in the outer lands of Nova Chrysalia, was that the group was a triad of bandits, merely foot soldiers keeping the peace in the Dead Dunes as they sought for the treasures buried deep beneath the sand.

_'The world ends in thirteen days,'_ Lightning imagined them saying. _'Might as well spend it being rich!'_

Despite her relative disgust at this nonchalant behavior, Lightning's interest wasn't centered around the relics hidden within the Dunes, no…she had overheard a tip detailing that the leader of Monoculus was a woman, and a strong warrior at that. Furthermore, she was looking for bandit recruits into Monoculus. The catch? You were required to pass a test in order to be accepted. The strange bit…the petitioner claimed that "only the savior can possibly pass this trial of a true bandit's finesse!"

Judging by those specifics, Lightning could think of only one person who might be leading that group.

Besides, Lightning thought with a smirk, she was up for a challenge.

Bhunivelze's god-given power flowed through her supernatural veins like an elixir, constantly maintaining her body at an incredible state of awareness. It was different than the warmth Etro had bestowed upon her. Then she had felt like an enhanced l'Cie with augmented powers. Now, she truly felt…

Inhuman. Unstoppable.

At times it terrified her, this strange power that took her over in a battle, shut off all emotions until her enemy lat before her in ribbons of scarlet until with a gentle hiss the monster dissolved into chaotic particles.

Suddenly Hope's voice cut through her thoughts.

_"Okay, Light, once you step down, you're going to be jogging through some thick sand, so I've got something ready for you that might just help…" _

The train gently slowed to a stop; Lightning was the first to step off, looking around at the familiar station banking the new continent. She stepped off slowly, feeling the hot breath of desert air meet her in a gust. The station's staircase was completely enveloped into a tan layer of sand.

Lightning stepped into the sun, viewing the vast expanse of dunes around her in awe. Hanging on the very edge of the horizon was the Ark; various buildings and ruins dotted the landscape, but Lightning was focused on one thing laying below her feet. She crouched down and lifted it in her hands.

A slick, plastic bolt of lightning lay in her hands, broad and thick as could be. It was relatively large, spanning a foot across and about three feet tall. Lightning noticed with a an amused smile that it was shaped exactly as the savior's emblem with the edges of the top two tips curved.

"You're kidding me," Lightning chuckled, quickly snapping into a lighter outfit. One she had bought from a Wildlands merchant, Dark Muse, came to mind as she began to jog up the steep incline of the first dune, holding the board beneath her arm.

_"I figured what with the world ending soon and time being a necessity, why not travel around in style? You are the savior, after all." _

"Yeah, we'll see about that."

_"Try it out!" _

Lightning clucked her tongue but obliged, laying the bolt beneath her and setting a steady foot on it, putting her hands on her hip. The bottom of the dune rolled out into a steady descent that would lead to the base of another hill of sand. Without another word she suddenly moved forward, turning sideways and splaying out her arms for balance. An unintentional grin spread across her face as she soared downwards, spraying a fan of sand into a Sahagin's face as it dared to come near.

Lightning learned that if she simply quirked her back ankle one way or the other while simultaneously lifting the board up in the front just a few inches, she could change the direction in a split second, avoiding snapping jaws of monsters with ease.

_"How is it?!"_ Hope asked.

Lightning slowly ran to a stop, surprised to find herself nearing a type of oasis, a cluster of ruins backed against a fantastic display of sun-bleached boulders and sweeping swaths of white cloth. She'd cross the Dead Dunes' middle expanse in what seemed like only minutes.

"You never fail to impress, Mr. Estheim," she chuckled, riding down the last decline as various people watched her descent.

_"I'm glad you liked it, Light, but now it's time for business. The leader of Monoculus is waiting for you." _

"Never enough time to enjoy the view, huh? Alright, let's go."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Hope you enjoy! This was purely based off of the new Nova Chrysalia continent videos we received today. I have to say, the Dead Dunes looks incredible. Definitely traveling there the first chance I get this November.

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**


End file.
